Belgium/Northwest/Tropics

Welcome back to Off The Hinge Brewing!  Yes, it has been a long time... I will save you from the mundane and skip to the good stuff.  First, I brewed outside yesterday with friends!  Secondly, the Cascade Cup and Puget Sound Pro-Am Competition is happening right now!  Lastly, my 2-row barley has sprouted!  I hope that is not too many exclamation marks!

Stir plate in action

I was thinking about making a Cedar Kolsch Beer, but realized it was not that creative.  I decided to make a beer that resembles three of my favorite areas in the world.  I took from the Great Pacific Northwest, Belgium, and the Tropics and came up with a Cedar Mango Belgian Blonde.  I also used my stir plate for the first time, which worked like champ.  I pitched the Forbidden Fruit yeast at 6 PM and I woke up at 1 AM and it was bubbling like crazy, so my guess is that it started earlier than that.  The Original Gravity is 1.046, which is right on target!  Now the wait...

Last weekend, I found out that FH Steinbarts (local homebrew store) was not a drop off location for the competition and it was the last day to drop of the entries, oh shit.  The wife and I decided to take a trip to Olympia Washington for the drop off of, Tropic of Wheat and the Beach Bum Red.  This long drive was nice and we got to check out a small brewery and have lunch.  Hope the beer does well!

Off The Hinge Garden is blowing up.  I planted some barley last week and I noticed the shoots yesterday.  I also added some fennel in there.  Thinking a fennel lavender saison would be a good summer beer.  I will update you continually on the garden.  That is all for now, remember to drink good beer responsibly and be merry.  Salute!

2-Row Barley

Chinook 

Cascade

Zeus

Outdoor Setup

Mash

Steve checking temp

Steve excited

Perfect day for outdoor session

Happy

Tracey, Audrey and Steve

I get serious when I drop my cedar

5 minutes left till flame out

She loves her spent grains

OTH Brewer's Garden Almost Complete

Welcome back to Off The Hinge Brewing!  The Garden is coming along and the hops are growing like crazy!  Today I set up some coarse twine for the hops to grow up.  It appears that the Chinook are leading the pack with Cascades in a close second and Zeus, well they are trying to keep up.  If you are interested in growing your own hops I found a cool article with several tips and info check it out at http://home.netcom.com/~dluzanp/backyard.htm

Chinook

Zeus

Cascade

OFF THE HINGE ESTATE HOPS

Stars & Bars Polly Olly is bottled and conditioning.  This was one helluva time.  Murphy's Law was in full swing.  It all started when my White Sox lost a close one to the Nationals.  Damn Inter league play!  Moving on...I was not in the best mood, however I needed to bottle the beer.  So, I rushed and got everything setup in my usual way.  I filled a 750 ml bottle only to find out that the cap did not fit the top of that bottle.  I had already lost beer to the hop absorption and I did not want to pour it back  risking oxidation.  Next, I was capping a bottle when all of the sudden the neck of the bottled crumbled and shattered cutting my thumb.  Lastly, as I was tipping the last of the liquid from the elevated bucket and it fell onto the bottles knocking them over like bowling pins.  Hopefully, they will be fine.  I am just glad that it is over...  That is all for now folks, remember to drink good beer responsibly and be merry.  Cheers!   

Transferring to bottling bucket 

Bottle Tree

Stars & Bars

2013 Joint Cascade Brewers Cup & Puget Sound Pro-Am

Welcome back to Off The Hinge Brewing!  I want you all to know that I am sick of not brewing!  I still have not used my stir plate and can't wait propagate some yeast.  My pipeline was getting clogged up, hence the reason I have not brewed in over 2 weeks.  Not to mention the brewers garden took some time to get going.  Enough excuses...

Clogged up pipeline

I am going to Ashland, OR. on a mini vacation to hang with some friends and check out movies, plays and breweries!  I feel this trip will give me some time to reflect and possible gain some inspiration  south of the Rose City.  My buddy has a friend that runs a nano brewery tour out of Medford and I am tempted to go, plus I can get a discount.  I do not know, but it may be a good way to extend the old network.  Moving on to more important info...

Henry Miller once said, “Do anything, but let it produce joy. Do anything, but let it yield ecstasy.”  I feel this statement best describes why I brew... Whirlpool Wheat has a new name, Tropic of Wheat.  Inspired by the tropical fruit notes and Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer. 

I just entered it into my first Pro-Am competition in the great state to the North.  This competition is one of Washington's most prestigious homebrew competitions with the country's largest GABF Pro-Am qualifying competition.  Regardless of the outcome, I believe that Tropic of Wheat yields ecstasy.

Lastly, just tried the Beach Bum Red (which is not quite carbonated), and it taste great.  All those late hop additions are paying off.  I compared it to the Fibonacci's IRA that I brewed last year and the color was almost exactly the same beautiful red hue.  I still can not decide which one taste better, but I am digging where the beer is headed, and I am not talking about down my gullet.  Sooner or Later that is the fate of all my brews, but hopefully in the future that will include other gullets than my own.

I will let you know how the trip went and until then peace out.  Remember to drink good beer responsibly and be merry.  

Update

Welcome back to Off The Hinge Brewing!  Not much has been brewing up except the common cold and the old familiar pangs of the day job, however I felt the need to update you all on what has been  happening with OTHB.

First off, "Beach Bum Red" is bottled and conditioning!  The final gravity hit 1.010 and I expect a crisp clean finish.  I had to test it uncarbed as per usual, and it tasted promising.  I think I should have dry hopped it to add to the aroma, however I think it will be fine.  I can't help myself I always want to dry hop, I am a hop head.

Secondly, OTHB garden is near complete with three hops, Cascade, Chinook and Zeus.  I just transplanted a lavender plant into the box that Tracey donated to the cause.  This project is exciting and the hops are already bolting skyward.  Next, I need to find where to get some barley and a few other brewing ingredients.

Testing the scent of the hops!

Lastly, Just dry hopped and transferred "Stars and Bars Polly Olly."  I had a 1/4 of an ounce of Mosaic and 1 3/4 ounce of Centennial.  I am sad to know that the UBrew is out of Mosaic hops for the year.  The beer smells like peaches and very floral.

I am in need of a brew session!  Well, that is it for now.  Remember to drink good beer responsibly and be merry!

Prost!

Cedar Inspiration

Welcome back to Off The Hinge Brewing!  Spring has sprung forth my hop shoots.  This will be my second year growing them.  I feel it is time to step up and grow a full off the hinge garden.  I am thinking about planting barley, rhubarb, lavender, lemongrass, and jalapeno's .  I would love to hear your suggestions on other items.

I was not super content on where my plants grew last year, so Tracey and I took a drive to Mr. Plywood and got some rough cedar boards for the new garden box.  Eight foot boards will fit into a Toyota Camry, but it does require ingenuity.  So, on I went with my katzenjammer.  The garden box is now complete and ready for the next stage, but that will have to wait till tomorrow...

Recently, I have been coming across great tasting cedar beers.  The smell from cutting the cedar was so pleasant that I decided cedar beer is in my future.  I am taking a small break (next week?) until I can free up some room for more beer.

Cutting some 4 by 4

Assembling the side

The last screw

Audrey the best chicken ever

UPDATE:  The Whirlpool Wheat is a great tasting tropical beer with hints of peach, papaya, blueberry and passion fruit.  I am in love with Mosaic hops.  The Funny Little IPA turned out okay, but I thought it was a bit too sweet, however everyone at the brewers collective seemed to like it.  I think next time I will try to mash lower.  Well that is it for now, I will keep you up to date on the garden.  Remember to drink good beer responsibly and be merry.  Cheers!

Stir Plate

Welcome back to Off The Hinge Brewing!  I wanted better yeast starters, so I built my own stir plate.  My beer has improved due to the starters that I have made in the past, yet that is not enough for my standards.  I have read many threads on the subject and decided to go a bit more pro by making a stir plate.  This project made me feel like Richard Dean Anderson!

A stir plate is a rotating magnetic force that turns a piece of metal (stir bar) inside the starter causing a vortex within the wort.  The reason for this motion is to keep the yeast in constant suspension.

There are several advantages to doing this.  First, it provides the wort and the yeast with an ample amount of oxygen.  Wyeast Laboratories states, "Oxygen is used by yeast for synthesis of sterols and unsaturated fatty acids that are necessary growth factors.  Without oxygen, these lipids can't be biosynthesized and growth will be very limited.  The sterols and fatty acids produced are also very important in the structure of the cell membrane and the ability of the yeast to respond to external and internal stresses.  Adequate oxygen in the wort when the yeast is pitched is essential to a successful fermentation and long-term health of the culture."  As you can see oxygen is important.  Secondly, once the yeast begins fermenting the starter, the stirring will push the CO2 out of solution, this will aid in healthier yeast cells.  Lastly, the yeast will stay in contact with the sugars for a longer time.  This helps them propagate more rapidly and create healthier cells.  The benefits are that the yeast will take off quicker once pitched into the carboy, the speed of fermentation will increase, and the fermentation will be more complete.

My Stir plate Stir Crazy

With all that jargon in mind, I set off and made my own stir plate.  The total cost was $18, which is pretty cheap.  You can purchase stir plates at about $45 - $200, if you are lucky you might find one cheaper, but they are fairly easy to make.  I used a computer fan that I already had, cut out the metal grate leaving one ring so that the Erlenmeyer flask could sit on top of it.  Next, I took apart an old hard drive that did not work and extracted a rare earth magnet (this was no easy feat).  I then cut out the center metal piece from the fan grate and glued it in the center of the fan, so that the magnet would stay put in the center.  Lastly, I went out and spent $18 on the flask and stir bar.  I was expecting Murphey's law to kick in, but nothing went wrong!  Stir Crazy is a champ.  Can't wait for the next brew!  Remember to drink good beer responsibly and be merry.  Salute!

This is a stir bar

In action

In action up close

 

Stars & Bars Polly Olly

Welcome back to Off The Hinge Brewing!  American beers are number one!  Don't get me wrong other countries make great beer (England/Belgium/Germany to name a few), however the aggressive citrus hop character of the USA is a real crowd pleaser to my pallet.

My Funny Little IPA is not quite ready

Ryan Winn, friend/co-worker wanted to brew a beer for the first time and we decided on an American pale ale due to a mutual appreciation for that style.  To pay homage to Old Glory we named the beer, Stars & Bars Polly Olly.  The Polly Olly part of the name originated when his sister's old flame tried a pale ale for the first time and pronounced it polly olly.  I also think it sounds more exotic, which amplifies the style.

Mash

It was a great time, friends, music, beer, and brewing.  We mashed in 10.5 lbs of US 2-Row, .5 lb of Victory, .25 lb of US Munich, and .25 lb of Cara Pils @ 157 F, which was a little too high.  It was an easy fix.  We added a bit of cool water and stirred it up and got down to 154.  We held it at 154 for 75 minutes.  

First wort pellets

Squeezing out the hop goodness and burning my hand

We first wort hopped it with 1 oz. of Citra hop pellets.  The aroma was great and smelled citrusy.  Next, we added 1 oz. of Mosaic at 15 minutes left in the boil along with our Whirlfloc and yeast nutrients.  Our last addition at flame out (0 minutes) included 2 oz. of Citra, 2 oz. of Mosaic and 2 oz. of wet (Fresh) Northern Brewer hops.  The Northern Brewer hops were a Christmas Gift (thanks David P.) that were vacuumed sealed and they smelled super good.

Ryan Pitched in the Wyeast 1272 American Ale II starter, which I made the night before.  This strain is a little bit fruitier and more flocculant than 1056 American Ale strain.  The profile contains a nutty hint, soft, clean, and a little tart finish.

Last two additions

We mean business

Grey Bear keeping an eye on things

Ryan dropping in the Whirlfloc

Checking Pre Boil Gravity (1.056)

This beer should be quite good, It has been fermenting vigorously.  I have never been able to smell the hops from the other room until now.  The aroma is great.  Can't wait to try this one out.  Thanks Ryan for your help and David P. for the fresh hops.  Remember to drink good beer responsibly and be merry.  Cheers!